The present invention generally relates to barbecue grilling accessories and more particularly to smoker boxes used to flavor foods being cooked on the barbecue.
Smoker boxes are often used in barbecue grills for flavoring food. Typically wood chips or the like placed in the smoker box are first soaked in water, or other liquids, such as wine, beer, or whiskey, to generate smoke when the smoker box is heated by the grill's heat source. Smoke from the smoker box circulates within the barbecue grill and infuses the food placed on the grill grate with flavor. Various food flavoring effects can be achieved by using different types of wood. For example, heavy woods, like mesquite and pecan woods, have a stronger smoke flavor than fruit woods, such as apple and cherry.
Existing smoker boxes, however, only supply flavoring smoke. They provide no facility for humidifying the air within the air space surrounding the food as it is being cooked. This is a serious drawback in that without a humid atmosphere the food can dry out and have a propensity to burn. Separate humidifiers have been devised for barbecues, but such humidifiers are typically designed to be placed near the food where they would be most effective. Such separate humidifying units also add to the equipment needed by the barbecue chef and add cost to equipping the barbecue chef with the tools he or she needs to produce the best possible cooking experiences.
The present invention greatly expands the functional capabilities of existing smoker boxes and allows the barbecue chef to introduce flavoring smoke into the barbecue chamber for flavoring the food being cooked while at the same time humidifying the atmosphere surrounding the food. The invention eliminates the need for separate humidifying devices for barbecues, and provides a means for locating the source of added humidity where it can produce the greatest impact on the barbecuing experience.